Interim Study: Urban Agriculture Thanh Tran, Vegetable Farm Manager Commonwealth Urban Farms Co-Policy Chair for Central Oklahoma Young Farmers Coalition
My Story My Family My Self Grew up in Vietnamese Pursued a career in IT ● ● household Came home to care for my ● Raised with emphasis on fruits family ● and vegetables and home- Saw the transformative power ● cooked meals of fruits and vegetables Family always had a garden Became a farmer to learn more ● ● (Essex)
Home Gardening: Springtime Bed Prep with mom and sister
Impact of Fresh Produce Full time caregiver for home-bound elderly mom ● Managed her diabetes type II, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol ⮚ through diet of all home-made meals using fresh produce. Eliminated use of prescription drugs under care and supervision of primary ⮚ care physician and weekly at-home nurse check ups and physical therapy. Improved alertness and energy. ⮚ Purpose, meaning and empowerment through self-care. ⮚
Impact of Fresh Produce (cont’d) Full time caregiver for sister with stage IV breast cancer ● ⮚ 6 mos vegan diet with all fresh produce and dried herbs. Eliminated all processed foods, no alcohol, no added sugars, no added salt, Lifestyle changes included elimination of chemical soaps, shampoos, household cleaners, detergents, etc. ⮚ Diet and lifestyle changes followed up with 8 mos strong chemotherapy and 1 year mild chemotherapy. 2016 – present: No detectable cancer. No medications. ⮚ ⮚ Purpose, meaning and empowerment through self-care.
Food Desert: Low access and low income
Why Urban Agriculture ● According to 2016 Census Bureau, 80% of population live in urban areas. ● Oklahoma City and Tulsa have lots of vacant land ● Makes sense to grow food where we live ● Small-scale farmers tend to sell close to where they grow
Commonwealth Urban Farms 2019 Summer Veg
Commonwealth Urban Farms 2019 Spring Veg
2019 CommonWealth Vegetable Production Acres under production: approx. 0.10 acres or 4425 sq. ft. ● Average 70 - 100 lbs produce per week ● CSA with 25 members for 32 week season ● 3 restaurant accounts ● Booth at Paseo Farmers’ Market during summer months ●
References Oklahoma Food Banks. (2017). An Overview of Food Deserts in Oklahoma: June 2017 ● United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2016). CNSTAT Assessment. ● Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in- theus/definitions-of-food-security/cnstat-assessment/ United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2016). Definitions of Food Security. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition- ● assistance/foodsecurity-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security/#CNSTAT United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2017). Documentation. Updated ● January 18, 2017. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-accessresearch- atlas/documentation/ United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2017). Food Access Research ● Atlas. Updated May 18, 2017. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/foodaccess- research-atlas/ ● United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services. (2017). Food Desert Locator: Release No. 0191.11. Retrieved from https://www.fns.usda.gov/tags/food-desert-locator US Census Bureau 2016 report: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2016/cb16-210.html ●
Recommend
More recommend
